Hairdressing brings style and substance to a career

Denise Deveau, Postmedia News06.21.2011

Tony Masciangelo (L) and Jed Tuznak (R) will tell you that hairdressing wasn't a long-term career choice when they started working in salons 20 years ago. Now the co-owners of The Alcorn salon in Toronto feel they lucked into something quite special.

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Tony Masciangelo and Jed Tuznak will tell you that hairdressing wasn't a long-term career choice when they started working in salons 20 years ago. Now the co-owners of The Alcorn salon in Toronto feel they lucked into something quite special.

"I got in because I thought a trade would be easy," Masciangelo says. "I wasn't that good at first, but once I decided to commit to it, things changed."

Colourist Tuznak says he also stumbled into hairdressing when he was "a lost student. I went into colour because I didn't like blow-drying hair."

Masciangelo now spends a good deal of his time globe-trotting for fashion shows and commercial shoots. "I started by working with any photographers I could find until I got good at it. Then I ended up working with more established ones. Once I got an agent, the floodgates opened for the fashion side."

Salon work continues to give him the most joy, however. "Models are easy. If you can make real women look beautiful, that's glamour."

"It's like a transformation," Tuznak says. "You can recreate someone and make them happy. It's very rewarding for you and your client."

Morgan Nesom is just starting out in her career as she prepares to graduate from the EvelineCharles Academies in Edmonton. This 22-year-old High Prairie, Alta. native has loved doing hair since shampooing hair in a salon in high school. "I have always had a huge passion for all aspects of the industry, including fashion, esthetics and hair. But I never thought my hobby would become a career."

Hairdressing falls under the skilled trade category because it is an apprenticeable trade and eligible for Red Seal certification, which is recognized across the country, explains Shaun Thorson, executive director for Skills Canada in Gatineau. "It's an important industry because it promotes career opportunities for youth, as well as offers great skills to start your own business."

Becoming a licensed hairdresser is not a walk in the park, however, says Kim McIver, academy admissions director for EvelineCharles. A person must take 1,400 hours of school training and apprentice for another 1,400 hours before taking their licensing exam. "We also offer training in advertising, marketing and human resources in partnership with NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) and are Red Seal certified. And we're an ITEC (International Therapy Examination Council) school, which means students can be certified in 38 countries. So they pretty much leave with five diplomas instead of one."

For her, the keys to success include being a very passionate, outgoing person who can handle the physical demands. "You have to stand in one spot for long periods of time. That can be hard on the body."

When starting a search for programs, Thorson advises newcomers to contact organizations such as the Allied Beauty Association, local apprenticeship branches or a technical institute/community college. Private schools also do training and provide certification.

While training and after graduating, you can build your clientele by doing cutting and colouring for friends and family, says EvelineCharles cosmetologist instructor Jessica Robertson. "Also, start searching salons that will suit you. Do you prefer a professional setting, or a laid-back one? Use some of their services just to see. Try to be the best at everything - that is, cutting, colouring and makeup. That can play a big part in how much you make."

"The best way to get good at it is to do it over and over every day and learn," Masciangelo says. "And remember that no matter how good you are, you're never good enough."

Perhaps the biggest part of the job is finding your way in the world, he adds. "A huge part of this business is connections. Skills and talent are what keep you there."

Customer service and communications are critical, confirms Robertson. "In fact, to get known in the industry, 80 per cent is communication, 20 per cent is technical ability."

Often called upon to advise younger stylists, Masciangelo says, "Get out there and network. You should be on Twitter and Facebooking people like me. Spend time meeting people. And a little bit of partying doesn't hurt. There is an aspect of glamour to the industry, so enjoy it."

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